Carpet sweeper having an automatically driven dust remover



T REMOVER y 1952 w. A. SHERBONDY CARPET SWEEPER HAVING AN AUTOMATICALLY DRIVEN DUS Filed Oct. 17, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet l V. l M m. 0 AM n 1 E V a w N H o 72 7 VIII..\\\\\\\ M L w B May 7, 9 w. A. SHE'RBONDY CARPET SWEEPER HAVING AN AUTOMATICALLY DRIVEN DU-fT REMOVE'R Filed Oct. 17, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTUR WILLIAM A- SHERBQNDY .3) 7562144), Tia/w, 9 'fiflfiw/ru AnoRNzYs May 27, 1952 w A, SHERBQNDY 2,598,611

CARPET SWEEPER HAVING AN AUTOMATICALLY DRIVEN DUST REMOVER Filed Oct. 17, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WILLIAM A. SHERBQNDY ATTORNEYS y 952 w. A. SHERBONDY 2,598,611

CARPET SWEEPER HAVING AN AUTOMATICALLY DRIVEN DUST REMOVER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM A. SHERBONDY BY 154124, 72mm, 9 M' fiZa w R QRNEYS Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARPET SWEEPER HAVING'AN AUTOMATI- CALLY DRIVEN DUST REMOVER William A. Sherbondy, Shaker Heights, Ohio Application October 17, 1947, Serial No. 780,361

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-342) This invention relates to a carpet sweeper of the traction driven type and has for its general object the provision of a combined sweeper and suction mechanism in a commercially practicable form presenting a machine similar to a standard carpet sweeper and only slightly larger than such sweeper while having the added advantage of providing a continuous draft from the brush to a dust receiving bag.

My invention is an improvement on the sweeper shown in Patent No. 1,750,944 granted March 18, 1930, to W. E. Sherbondy. That patent provides a carpet sweeper with a suction fan driven from the brush shaft but the drive is external and extends over the top of the sweeper in an unsatisfactory manner materially increasing the height of the apparatus and interfering with the ready passage of the sweeper beneath furniture.

In contradistinction to the patent mentioned, I have provided in this invention an internal drive for the fan which leads directly from an intermediate region of the brush to the fan and requires no extension above the fan casing. I effect this direct drive from the brush to the fan either by bevel gearing or by a belt, in either case an overrunning clutch being provided to allow the fan to spin when the brush stops rotating. My invention includes both of these embodiments.

Still another feature of my invention relates to the means for catching the heavy particles lifted by the brush into the interior of the sweeper and allowing the ready discharge of the same. I effect this by providing a single pan hinged at one edge to the sweeper and free for movement at the other, the pan having an opening for the brush and means on each side thereof to retain the brushed-up material. This makes a simpler arrangement than the standard sweeper, with individual hinged pans and means for swinging them.

My invention is illustrated in the drawings hereof and is hereinafter described in detail and the essential novel features are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an end elevation of my combined suction device and sweeper; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on a larger scale lengthwise of the sweeper casing along the axis of the brush, as indicated by the line 22 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is 'a bottom plan of the fan casing and portions of adjacent parts; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the fan and its casing, being in a plane in which the fan axis lies, as indicated by the line 4-4 on Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal in Fig. 7;

section of the overrunning clutch shown in Fig. 4, as indicated by the line 5-5 on that figure; Fig. 6 is a perspective of a spring retainer employed in the overrunning clutch; Fig. 7 is a bottom plan of the fan casing and adjacent parts when the fan is arranged to be driven by a belt; Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the beltdriven embodiment, as indicated by the line 8-8 Fig. 9 is a detail of the overrunning clutch and fan drive of this embodiment, being a vertical section in the plane indicated by the line 99 on Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section through the sweeper, indicating in broken lines the dust pan as being swung to a discharging position; and Fig. 11 is a plan of the dust pan detached.

The casing of the carpet sweeper proper is of substantially standard type, comprising a pair of vertical end walls It and II, front and back walls l2 and I3, and a top H, which is shown as a'sheet metal member bent downwardly at the front and the back and joined to the front and back walls [2 and [3.

The casing described." has an open bottom which, in use, is partially closed. by the pan 20 hinged at 21 to the rear wall l3 and having flanges 22 and 23 at the back and front adapted to overlap the rear and front walls. The front flange 23 carries an upwardly projecting clip 25 adapted to latch over a pin carried by the front wall [2. End flanges 26 of the pan overlap the exterior of the end walls It) and II. There is a centralelongated brush opening 21 in the pan, and at opposite sides of this are upwardly extending outwardly projecting dust flanges 28 and 29, all as shown in Fig. 10.

The sweeper is supported by four wheels 30 suitably carried by axles 3| in the ordinary manner. The periphery of these wheels drivingly engage wheels 34 on the brush shaft 35 carrying bristles 36 in the usual manner. The bristles, which extend entirely around the shaft, present a practically continuous brush from end to end except at the central portion where the fan drive is located as hereinafter described. The omission of the intermediate bristles on each side of the center in Fig. 2 is merely for simplicity of illustration.

The sweeper resting on the wheels 30 is propelled by the handle 38, and the wheels 30, by their frictional engagement with the brush wheels 34, rotate the brush as usual in a carpet sweeper.

A round circular opening is made in the sweeper top I4 in which seats a fan housing or casing. This casing comprises two cups 40 and 4| with outward flanges 42 engaging each other as shown in Fig. 2. The cup 4| occupies the opening in the top l4 and the flanges rest on this top and are Secured thereto.

The fan casing described houses a suction fan on a vertical shaft drivingly connected with the central region of the brush shaft 35. This connection is by "means of bevel gearing in the first is mounted in an upwardly facing recess in a i plate 53 secured to the fan housing plate 43..

The fan has a hub 55 which surrounds the shaft 5| and is held thereto by suitable means, such as a set screw shown in Fig. 4. Below the hub of the fana needle bearing is provided including rollers 56, which'as shown, is mounted in a downwardly facing cup 51 secured to a cross bar 58 as by awelding. This cross. bar extends across an openingvs inthe lower wall of the fan casing and ,is secured tosuch lower wall by welding or riveting. The ball bearing 52 and the needle bearing 56; effectively journal the fan shaft 5|.

Beneath the bearing 56 is the clutch and driving meansfcr the shaft which will now be described. The j clutch is preferably of substantially the 7 form shown in Patent 1,929,454 granted October 1933, to ,William E. Sherbondy. This clutch, as shown in -Fi'g.'4, comprises a member 60 pinned to the shaft5| and having a plurality of cocentric faces 6|; an embracing sleeve 62 and a series of rollers 63 (one for each face Bl) between the clutch member and sleeve. A suitable roller retainer 65; (Fig. 6) is mounted above the clutch member 63 and has downwardly extending arms 6 5 extending behind the respective rollers-,a spring "6-1 attached one end to the retainer member and at the other: engaging a shoulder of the clutch member causes the arms 66 to press the rollers toward the portion of larger radius on the clutch member and thus maintain the rollers at all times close to the clutch member andth'e sleeve.

Whenthe clutchsleeve 62, which is the driving memben-is' turnedin a; direction toward the portion of the clutch member of greater radius (that is, in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 5'), the clutch member 60 and hence the shaft 5| and 7 fan 50' are positively driven in its suction-producmember as shownin Fig. 4 having a tubular extension 68' snugly but freely surrounding the shaft and having; a bearing against ther rollers .55. .These'roll'ers thus form a bearing both for the shaft and theclutch' sleeve. At its lower end the sleeve 62 ,is' provided with an outward flange 69 by which it is secured to a disc-like flange 1i] 1 on the upper end'of a cylindrical block l. This block has a reduced extension 12 to which is pinned a bevel pinion T13. The bevel pinion 13 meshes with a b'eveldriving 'gear' 80 on the brush "shaft 35.

It follows fromthe: above'described construction that when thesweeper is pushed forwardly the rotating. brush shaft through the bevel ing direction and thereby gives a rapid rotation to the fan 50. This causes an upward draft through the opening 48 to carry away the dust raised by the brush. This. dust passes rearwardly through a rearward extension 41 of the fan housing intothe removable dust bag 49 illustrated in Fig. 1.

When the forward propulsion of the sweeper stops, or the sweeper is drawn backward, the fan continues to rotate by momentum as permitted by the overruuning clutch described. Accordingly, though the carpet sweeper is reciprocated in use the fan has a continuous operation in one direction to establish suction drawing the dust out of the casing.

To enable the driving bevel gear 8!! to be mounted conveniently on the brush shaft, I prefer to make this shaft of two aligned parts as shown in Fig. 2, such parts being connected by a central gudgeon 82. I form the gear 80 on a sleeve 83 which overlaps the two shaft sections and is secured thereto, as by suitable screws shown in Fig. 2. This construction enables the ready mounting of the gear on thecent'ifalrgiidn of the brush shaft withou't distributing the bristles at either side thereof; At the Same time the sleeve of the bevel gear makes anefiecjtive bridging coupling between the two shaft' s'ections.

In place of driving the clutch, asd'hsna nie fan, by bevel gearing fmrh the brush shaft, 1 friay employ the belt drive. illustrated in js. '1,- c and this case, theshaft 5| carfing the fan is mounte d atitsuppei' end in he ball bearing 52, and beneath thisfbearing' c ris the hub of the far'159, jll5t asifi the first eriibddiment already described.- oward; temw this fan hub the construction is different in that in this embodiment the shaft 5| ea res" ii-gran a bevel pinion and below this 'pinidfi has areduced extension 9| tvhich taks a bearing gin a stationary horizontal sleeve-like bearing block 93. l-his member is rigidly held on the cross bar 94 extending; acrossthe air opening 8 through the lower- 'plate of the fan J ournalled in; a horizontal cylindrical opening in the bearing block 93 is a sleeve 9 (Fig'.- 9)

which is outwardly flanged to forma belt pulley 96. This pulley has a central cylindrical recess in which is mounted'the clutch member 91 corresponding to,- the previously describedmember and adapted to drive the pulleythreugh the rollers 98 corresponding tothe rollers- [53. The clutch member 91 *is rigid on a shaft- 1M which is journalled in the sleeve5 (there beingpreferably an intermediate bu-sh-ing)-- and beyond this sleeve carries a bevel gear 'I'BI meshingwiththe bevel pinion- 9|l.- -A suitable cup; |02 secured- ;to the bearing block 93 forms an outer bearing for the" shaft Hi0. 7

It follows from the above construction that when the pulley 9B isrotated; in a forward direction the internalrollers 9d gbind'onthe clutch member 91' and thus rotate the shaft 0 0' which through the bevel gearing HH and drives the fan shaft forwardly. the other hand, when the driving rotation of the puley 96 ceases, momentum may continue the rotation ofthe fan shaftandfan.- s

The clutch pulley 96- is driven by a belt (Figs. 8 and-9)- passingoverthe' pulley ell-and over 'a pulley 1106 on the brush shaft The latter pulley-may be conveniently 'madein two partsas shown in Fig; {rand thusreadily placed about the central' region of a*continuous-b;rush shaft, the two parts being held together by screws I01 occupying wells in one of the members of the pulley. This construction, therefore, does not require separation of the brush shaft and the driving pulley may readily be mounted on an intermediate region thereof unoccupied by bristles.

It will be seen from the above descriptions that Whether I employ the bevel gear drive or the belt drive I have in each case provided mechanism driven directly by the brush for operating the fan all within the'carpet sweeper casing. No extension of the device is necessary above the bearing for the top of the fan shaft, and hence the whole operation is accomplished with only a slight upward extension of the carpet sweeper casing above that usual in carpet sweepers. I have thus provided a carpet sweeper with an efiective suction for the dust in a machine adapted for use after the manner and under the conditions of an ordinary carpet sweeper.

After a sweeping operation, the heavier particles will be in the bottom pan and the dust contained in the bag. The release of the pan latch at the front of the sweeper allows the ready discharge of the contents of both the front and rear sections of the pan. The dust bag is readily removed from the rear end of the fan casing and the accumulated dust discharged from its lower end after the manner of an ordinary vacuum cleaner.

I claim:

1. The combination of a casing, traction wheels for supporting the same, a horizontal brush shaft within the casing carrying a brush to engage the carpet and having a driving connection with the traction wheels, said casing having a substantially fiat top with an opening in it, a fan housing composed of a lower cup facing upwardly and seated in said opening and an upper cup facing downwardly and registering with the lower cup, a fan shaft having a bearing at its upper end in the top wall of the upper cup of the fan housing, the lower cup of the fan housing having an air opening in its central region, a bridge across said opening, an overrunning clutch carried by said bridge and adapted to operate the fan shaft, a rotary driving member on an intermediate region of the brush shaft, and a connection within the casing between said driving member and the clutch.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 characterized by said connection comprising a beveled gear on said overrunning clutch and a beveled gear on said brush shaft for driving the first mentioned gear.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 characterized by said connection comprising a driving pulley connected to said overrunning clutch, and a belt drivingly interconnecting said brush shaft and said pulley.

4. A carpet sweeper comprising a casing having a medial opening in the top thereof, traction wheels for the casing, a rotatable horizontal brush shaft in said casing, means to drive said shaft by said wheels, a unitary fan assembly attached in the opening in the top of said casing, said fan assembly including a housing substantially closing said opening and having an air inlet opening at the bottom and an air discharge opening in the side thereof, a vertically extending fan shaft in said housing, bearing means carried by said housing for said fan shaft, said bearing means including a bearing in the upper wall of said housing for the upper end of said fan shaft and a support member projecting transversely of the opening at the bottom of said housing carrying a bearing for supporting the lower end of said fan shaft, and means for driving said fan shaft by said brush shaft, the last mentioned means including an overrunning clutch supported adjacent to the bottom of said housing by said bearing means and a drive member connected with the'central portion of said brush shaft.

5. A carpet sweeper comprising a casing having a medial opening in the top thereof, traction wheels for the casing, a rotatable horizontal brush shaft in said casing, means to drive said shaft by said wheels, a unitary fan assembly attached in the opening in the top of said casing, said fan assembly including a housing substantially closing said opening and having an air inlet opening at the-bottom and an air discharge opening in the side thereof, a vertically extending fan shaft in said housing, bearing means carried by said housing for said fan shaft, said bearing means including a bearing in the upper wall of said housing for the upper end of said fan shaft and a support member projecting transversely of the opening at the bottom of said housing carrying a bearing for supporting the lower end of said fan shaft, and means for driving said fan shaft by said brush shaft, the last mentioned means including an overrunning clutch supported at the lower end of said fan shaft by said bearing means and a bevel gear drive between the central portion of said brush shaft and said clutch.

6. A carpet sweeper comprising a casing having a medial opening in the top thereof, traction wheels for the casing, a rotatable horizontal brush shaft in said casing, means to drive said shaft by said wheels, a unitary fan assembly attached in the opening in the top of said casing, said fan assembly including a housing substantially closing said opening and having an air inlet opening at the bottom and an air discharge opening in the side thereof, a vertically extending fan shaft in said housing, bearing means carried by said housing for said fan shaft, said bearing means including a bearing in the upper wall of said housing for the upper end'of said fan shaft and a support member projecting transversely of the opening at the bottom of said housing carrying a bearing for supporting the lower end of said fan shaft, and means for driving said fan shaft by said brush shaft, the last mentioned means including a pulley driven overrunning clutch supported in said fan housing in registration with said air inlet thereof by said bearing means and a pulley belt connected with the central portion of said brush shaft and extending through said air inlet opening to drive said clutch.

'7. A carpet sweeper comprising a casing having a medial opening in the top thereof, traction wheels for the casing, a rotatable horizontal brush shaft in said casing, means to drive said shaft by said wheels, a unitary fan assembly attached in the opening in the top of said casing, said fan assembly including a housing substantially closing said opening and having an air inlet opening at the bottom and an air discharge opening in the side thereof, a vertically extending fan shaft in said housing, bearing means carried by said housing for said fan shaft, said bearing means including a bearing in the upper wall of said housing for the upper end of said fan shaft and a support member projecting transversely of the opening at the bottom of said housing carrying a bearing for supporting the lower end of said fan shaft, and means for driving said fan shaft by said brush shaft, the last mentioned means including a pulley driven overrunning clutch supported on a horizontal shaft journalled 

